Camdeboo National Park

Also near Graaff-Reinet is Camdeboo National Park.  This park is known for its animal and plant life, yes - but it is even more known for its topography.  Shelley said that we absolutely had to see the Valley of Desolation.  Our B & B owner Hilary said that we should see it at sunset.  We took heed of both pieces of advice.

We entered the park around 2:30 in the afternoon.   We drove the driving loop fairly slowly, but didn't see many animals (heat of the day and all).  The most exciting part was when we suddenly came to a point where the road dips down through a small river.  Now, remember we don't have a 4 x 4, we have a Toyota Corolla.  I was driving.  "Am I supposed to drive through that?"  I ask Jim.  But, there was no other alternative.  It was a one lane road.  No one had said we shouldn't go straight around.  It couldn't be too deep, right?   Jim says, "Back up and take a run at it."  I did, and we lived to tell the tale!  I think the stream's bottom even was paved - it felt solid - while the rest of the roadway was dirt all the way.

Now, I said we didn't see many animals.  But, we did see a few new ones.  We saw a Vervet monkey enjoying the shade.  We saw a mama baboon and her baby.  We didn't get a picture of them live, but here's a cave art rendition -

We had to yield at times to other traffic -

These ostriches had to cross the road

...as did this crag lizard.

At about 5:00, we entered the road that goes not through the Valley of Desolation, but up above it - way up above it!   We drove up to what is sometimes called the Cathedral of the Mountains, as from there you can see 360 degrees across a lot of the Karoo.  The road itself climbs 1400 meters up the mountain.  It was originally constucted by hand - using picks, shovels, wheel-barrows, plus a stick of dynamite here and there, I imagine.  (But I still can't imagine!)  The road was completed in 1930.   

Another hiker

We park and walk up the 1.5 km "Crag Lizard" Trail (we know what they look like now).   The walks have stunning views of The Valley of Desolation below.  I have never been to Arches National Park in Utah, but this may be similar.   I'm sure pictures don't do it justice, but here are a few.  (And, yes, we did watch the shadows change the valley as the sun went down.)

Valley of Desolation

Close-up of one rock formation:
It looks like a mother and child to me